buglerbilly
15-06-10, 06:44 AM
By JOHN REED
Published: 14 June 2010
As the 21st century and America's worldwide counterinsurgency campaign enter their second decade, U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is moving to expand the aircraft and surveillance gear that has proved crucial to supporting its operators in some of the most primitive terrain on the planet.
The 2011 defense budget requested a 6 percent bump in special operations funding over 2010 for a total of roughly $6.3 billion. This coincides with the planned plus-up of about 5,000 personnel.
This trend is set to continue for the foreseeable future, with "DoD plans [calling] for SOF funding to continue to increase sharply over the next several years," according to the 2011 budget request.
While the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) took lessons learned from five years of irregular warfare and focused on dramatically increasing the number of special operations ground troops, the 2010 QDR calls on the Pentagon to address an unintended consequence of that action - a shortfall in special ops aviation and spy gear.
To do this, the DoD has given SOCOM the go-ahead to replace or upgrade dozens of its decades-old MC-130 tanker/transports, AC-130 gunships and MH-47 and MH-60 helicopters, listing $576 million in the 2011 budget for this purpose.
Under this plan, the Army will gain eight new MH-47Gs and 16 new MH-60G helicopters as it expands its 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. In addition to these new aircraft, the unit is rebuilding its existing MH-47Es and Ds to the MH-47G standard.
The 160th provides the bulk of dedicated rotary-wing airlift for special operations, while Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) operates the fixed-wing and tilt-rotor fleets for SOCOM.
New Transports, Tankers
On the Air Force front, the secretive command is working to replace its 10 MC-130E Combat Talon I infiltration planes and 23 MC-130P Combat Shadow tankers with 37 new MC-130Js that will be outfitted with special ops equipment such as terrain-following radar, advanced countermeasures and refueling pods. The MC-130E and P fleets are made up of airframes dating to the Vietnam War.
Also in line for replacement are the Air Force's eight AC-130H Spectre gunships that date to Vietnam. These aircraft, in high demand throughout the Middle East and Africa, will be replaced with 16 new gunships based on the C-130J by 2015.
Meanwhile, the 1980s-vintage 16 AC-130U Spectre gunships are slowly being pushed through maintenance depots to have their center wing boxes replaced years ahead of schedule due to heavy combat use.
At the same time, SOCOM is equipping several of the Air Force's newer MC-130W Combat Spear infiltration planes with a roll-on, roll-off weapons and sensor kit allowing them to pinch hit for the gunships that are in overhaul.
AFSOC also is in the midst of purchasing a handful of small and medium airlifters based on civil designs that are frequently found on ramps throughout the developing world. These aircraft, often painted in civilian livery, allow SOF troops to operate in nations where the political climate will not tolerate an overt U.S. military presence.
These aircraft support another key focus of the current special operations buildup - foreign internal defense. This involves small, specialized teams of SOF troops joining government troops from North Africa to the Philippines, teaching them the best techniques on everything from combat medicine and vehicle repair to fighting an insurgency.
Finally, the Air Force is on track to have its full complement of 50 CV-22 tilt-rotors by 2015.
The other major growth area for SOCOM is intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance planes and sensors to satiate the constant need to keep an airborne eye over special ops teams.
The 2011 SOF budget includes $10 million in procurement for MQ-1 Predator drones, $6 million for the MQ-9 Reaper UAV and $12 million for the Small Tactical Unmanned Aerial System. It also includes $2 million for the tiny RQ-11 Raven UAV, which can be carried in a backpack and launched by hand.
The budget also provides $225 million for SOF intelligence systems and $5 million for the development of a dedicated facility known as a distributed common ground system to analyze and distribute the intelligence data being collected by special operations forces. Another $65.6 million is slated for video surveillance and "operational enhancements intelligence." ■
E-mail: jreed@defensenews.com.
Published: 14 June 2010
As the 21st century and America's worldwide counterinsurgency campaign enter their second decade, U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is moving to expand the aircraft and surveillance gear that has proved crucial to supporting its operators in some of the most primitive terrain on the planet.
The 2011 defense budget requested a 6 percent bump in special operations funding over 2010 for a total of roughly $6.3 billion. This coincides with the planned plus-up of about 5,000 personnel.
This trend is set to continue for the foreseeable future, with "DoD plans [calling] for SOF funding to continue to increase sharply over the next several years," according to the 2011 budget request.
While the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) took lessons learned from five years of irregular warfare and focused on dramatically increasing the number of special operations ground troops, the 2010 QDR calls on the Pentagon to address an unintended consequence of that action - a shortfall in special ops aviation and spy gear.
To do this, the DoD has given SOCOM the go-ahead to replace or upgrade dozens of its decades-old MC-130 tanker/transports, AC-130 gunships and MH-47 and MH-60 helicopters, listing $576 million in the 2011 budget for this purpose.
Under this plan, the Army will gain eight new MH-47Gs and 16 new MH-60G helicopters as it expands its 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. In addition to these new aircraft, the unit is rebuilding its existing MH-47Es and Ds to the MH-47G standard.
The 160th provides the bulk of dedicated rotary-wing airlift for special operations, while Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) operates the fixed-wing and tilt-rotor fleets for SOCOM.
New Transports, Tankers
On the Air Force front, the secretive command is working to replace its 10 MC-130E Combat Talon I infiltration planes and 23 MC-130P Combat Shadow tankers with 37 new MC-130Js that will be outfitted with special ops equipment such as terrain-following radar, advanced countermeasures and refueling pods. The MC-130E and P fleets are made up of airframes dating to the Vietnam War.
Also in line for replacement are the Air Force's eight AC-130H Spectre gunships that date to Vietnam. These aircraft, in high demand throughout the Middle East and Africa, will be replaced with 16 new gunships based on the C-130J by 2015.
Meanwhile, the 1980s-vintage 16 AC-130U Spectre gunships are slowly being pushed through maintenance depots to have their center wing boxes replaced years ahead of schedule due to heavy combat use.
At the same time, SOCOM is equipping several of the Air Force's newer MC-130W Combat Spear infiltration planes with a roll-on, roll-off weapons and sensor kit allowing them to pinch hit for the gunships that are in overhaul.
AFSOC also is in the midst of purchasing a handful of small and medium airlifters based on civil designs that are frequently found on ramps throughout the developing world. These aircraft, often painted in civilian livery, allow SOF troops to operate in nations where the political climate will not tolerate an overt U.S. military presence.
These aircraft support another key focus of the current special operations buildup - foreign internal defense. This involves small, specialized teams of SOF troops joining government troops from North Africa to the Philippines, teaching them the best techniques on everything from combat medicine and vehicle repair to fighting an insurgency.
Finally, the Air Force is on track to have its full complement of 50 CV-22 tilt-rotors by 2015.
The other major growth area for SOCOM is intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance planes and sensors to satiate the constant need to keep an airborne eye over special ops teams.
The 2011 SOF budget includes $10 million in procurement for MQ-1 Predator drones, $6 million for the MQ-9 Reaper UAV and $12 million for the Small Tactical Unmanned Aerial System. It also includes $2 million for the tiny RQ-11 Raven UAV, which can be carried in a backpack and launched by hand.
The budget also provides $225 million for SOF intelligence systems and $5 million for the development of a dedicated facility known as a distributed common ground system to analyze and distribute the intelligence data being collected by special operations forces. Another $65.6 million is slated for video surveillance and "operational enhancements intelligence." ■
E-mail: jreed@defensenews.com.